The Department of Management Information Systems, Operations Management and Decision Sciences offers courses in several quantitative and systems areas, a major and a minor in management information systems, a major and minor in operations and supply management, and minors in business analytics, business intelligence and cyber-security.

Management Information Systems

The MIS major at the University of Dayton is designed primarily to develop business systems analysts. These professionals analyze and design information systems in business organizations and marshal resources (i.e. manage projects) to bring the systems development effort to successful completion. MIS professionals also facilitate the successful operation and maintenance of organizational information systems.

The major is comprised of eighteen hours of required courses which make up the MIS core and six hours of elective courses taken for breadth. Optionally, this breadth requirement can be satisfied by completing a related minor - currently Business Intelligence or Cyber Security - or by completing a double major in another business discipline. Related minors will change from time to time, reflecting the dynamic nature of the MIS discipline. Students should meet with their advisor to decide whether to opt for elective courses, a related minor, or a double-major consistent with their interests and career goals.

Select six additional semester hours: at least three hours must be a 300 or 400 level MIS course (excluding MIS 491, MIS 492 , MIS 497, MIS 498, and MIS 499); three additional hours may be either from the list of approved relevant major courses or another 300 or 400 level MIS course (excluding those listed above). A relevant major course is one that features concepts intended to bridge between the MIS minor and the student's major. For the list of approved relevant major courses see the MIS minor coordinator. Other courses may be taken with approval of the MIS minor coordinator, in consultation with the student's major advisor(s). Currently approved relevant major courses are: ACC 401, DSC 375, ECO 410,ECO 441, MKT 436, and OPS 350.

Select six additional semester hours: at least three hours must be a 300 or 400 level MIS course (excluding MIS 491, MIS 492 , MIS 497, MIS 498, and MIS 499); three additional hours may be either from the list of approved relevant major courses or another 300 or 400 level MIS course (excluding those listed above). A relevant major course is one that features concepts intended to bridge between the MIS minor and the student's major. For the list of approved relevant major courses see the MIS minor coordinator. Other courses may be taken with approval of the MIS minor coordinator, in consultation with the student's major advisor(s). Currently approved relevant major courses are: ACC 401, DSC 375, ECO 410,ECO 441, MKT 436, and OPS 350.

Operations and Supply Management

The operations and supply management program offered by the Department of Management Information Systems, Operations Management, and Decision Sciences includes a major and a minor in operations and supply management (OPS).

Students who major or minor in operations and supply management learn how to manage the core operations of an organization. These core operations use the human, technical, and financial resources of the organization to create goods and services for customers. Operations managers apply technical and quantitative tools and techniques, together with behavioral skills, to manage the transformation of inputs into outputs desired by customers. Operations managers participate in these transformation processes in many different roles, including:

Process improvement analyst

Quality assurance analyst

Purchasing manager

Production/inventory manager

Warehouse manager

Service facility manager

Operations consultant

The OPS program is selective. UD students wishing to declare an OPS major must have an overall GPA of 2.8 or higher. Moreover, to declare and/or remain in the program students must earn a grade of B- or higher in the introductory course (OPS 301) and DSC 211. Exceptions to these requirements must be approved by the Department Chair.

Students who major in OPS are encouraged to consider the many OPS co-op and internship opportunities with regional firms through association with UD's Career Services. Although not a requirement, most students do combine such experiences with their program of study in OPS. Experience shows that co-oping or interning in an OPS-related assignment affords students a richer appreciation of the applicability of their coursework and adds to the already strong position OPS grads enjoy in the job market. Normally the co-op experience requires an additional year to complete the degree, but because of the flexibility in course requirements, with advanced planning it is quite possible to complete a co-op and graduate in OPS within four years.

A minor in operations and supply management is available to students who want to acquire basic skills in this area and understand that doing so will enhance their ability to manage operations in any functional area of a business. A minor in operations and supply management consists of twelve hours for students in the School of Business Administration and 21 hours for non-business students.

Decision Sciences

The Department of Management Information Systems, Operations Management, and Decision Sciences offers courses in several quantitative and systems areas, a major and a minor in management information systems (see MIS), a major and minor in operations and supply management (see OPS), and minors in business analytics, business intelligence and cyber-security.

Decision sciences is the study of analysis, quantitative methodologies, and their application to the functional and behavioral problems of any organization. The major areas of study include applied statistics, operations research, and production and operations management. All business students take three decision sciences and operations management courses as part of their core business coursework.

The minor in business analytics (BAN) offers business majors and other students an opportunity to develop their skills in the quantitative methods which support managerial decision making. A minor in business analytics consists of 21 semester hours for non-business majors and 12 hours for business majors.

Specific courses in other areas (e.g. mathematics) may be used. See department chairperson for approval.

Introduction to the analysis of decisions under uncertainty. Topics include structuring of the decision process, Bayesian decision theory, and multicriteria decision making.
Prerequisite(s): DSC 211 or equivalent.

DSC 415. Simulation Modeling & Analysis. 3 Hours

Introduction to simulation models in support of business decision making. Emphasis on building and analyzing models in a variety of applications, including manufacturing and service systems. Study and use of a simulation language.
Prerequisite(s): DSC 211; DSC 375 recommended.

Selection, design, investigation, and completion of an independent original research thesis under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. Restricted to students in the University Honors Program with permission of the director of the program and the departmental chairperson.

DSC 492. Honors Thesis. 3 Hours

Selection, design, investigation, and completion of an independent original research thesis under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. Restricted to students in the University Honors Program with permission of the director of the program and the departmental chairperson.

DSC 494. Seminar in Decision Sciences. 3 Hours

Study of selected topics or issues in applied statistics, quantitative business analysis, and production and operations management. Topics vary from time to time. May be taken more than once if topics change. Title will reflect topics covered in a particular offering.

DSC 497. Laboratory Work Experience. 1-6 Hours

Under faculty sponsorship and in association with a participating industrial, commercial, educational, health-care, or governmental organization, practical experience in work associated with the student's minor concentration. (See internship coordinator for details.) Does not satisfy MIS elective. Permission of chairperson required.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chairperson.

DSC 498. Cooperative Education. 3 Hours

Optional full-time work period off campus alternating with study period on campus.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chairperson.

DSC 499. Independent Study in Decision Sciences. 1-6 Hours

Research in conjunction with a faculty member on a subject within the general area of decision sciences. Normally open only to juniors and seniors who have attained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or above. Permission of chairperson required.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chairperson.

Management Info Systems Courses

MIS 150. Professional Development Experiences in Information Systems. 0 Hours

Participation in experiences to promote development of practical knowledge, career networks, and professional skills relevant to the field of information systems.

Designed to immerse students into the contemporary issues of management information systems. Site visits and guest lectures from management information systems leaders. Priority given to first and second year students. Satisfactory/No Credit.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chairperson.

MIS 300. Survey of Management Information Systems. 3 Hours

Introduction to management information systems concepts, terminology, purposes, and applications for the nonbusiness student. Not open to students in the School of Business Administration or to those with credit in MIS 301. Permission of department chairperson required.
Prerequisite(s): (BAI 103L or BIZ 100 or BIZ 102 or CPS 111); junior standing.

MIS 301. Information Systems in Organizations. 3 Hours

Survey of theory and applications of computer-based information systems in organizations. The role of information in organizational processes, current information technology, decision support systems, and end-user computing and distributed processing systems. Sophomores are encouraged to take this course during their second term.
Prerequisite(s): BIZ 100 or BIZ 102 OR (ACC 207; (ACC 208 or ACC 200) (may be taken as a corequisite); ECO 203; (BAI 103L or CPS 111)).

MIS 302. Systems Thinking in Organizations. 3 Hours

Focus on understanding systems thinking, decision making, and information systems in organizations. Learn general systems concepts, system diagramming tools, and different approaches to systems thinking as a mode of inquiry. Compare modes of inquiry. Develop a learning community to build knowledge. Apply knowledge by (1) analyzing organizations as systems and the information systems and technologies used to support decision making and (2) suggesting improvements.
Prerequisite(s): Completed 45 semester hours.

MIS 303L. Using Spreadsheets in Business. 1 Hour

Use of electronic spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Excel) as a tool to support business decision making.
Prerequisite(s): BIZ 100 or BIZ 102 or MIS 203L or permission.

Process of software development for business system implementation. Fundamental object-oriented programming concepts include program design, documentation, development, and testing of computer solutions for business problems using a modern programming language, such as Java.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 305.

MIS 360. E-Commerce Processes & Technology. 3 Hours

Introduction to information systems technologies and techniques that enable business-to-business and business-to-consumer electronic relationships. Development of interactive websites with an introduction to client- and server-side scripting and simple database access.
Prerequisite(s): (MIS 300 or MIS 301); (MIS 305 or equivalent); (BAI 103L or equivalent HTML knowledge).

Concepts, methods, techniques, and tools needed to initiate a systems development project and to conduct the requirements collection, analysis, and structuring activities of systems development. Structured life cycle and alternatives. Re-engineering business processes through information systems.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 300 or MIS 301; MIS 385 (may be taken as a corequisite); Business majors only or permission of department chairperson.
Corequisite(s): MIS 381.

MIS 381. Principles of Project Management. 1 Hour

Introduction to project management concepts and ideas. Possible use of an existing team project from another course to learn principles of scheduling, team management, client management, etc., emphasizing best project management practices.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 300 or MIS 301.

Concepts, techniques, and tools to convert a logical system design into a working application using a relational DBMS. File and data structures, logical and physical database design, security and data integrity, file design and processing. DBMS functions, SQL, 3GL and 4GL access to databases, linkage to WWW pages, database architectures, CASE.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 300 or MIS 301; MIS 305 (may be taken as a corequisite).

MIS 410. Object-Oriented Analysis & Design. 3 Hours

Introduction to object-oriented concepts and techniques for analyzing and designing systems. Systems development project using an object-oriented CASE tool.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 301 or permission of instructor; MIS 305 recommended.

Study of web development concepts and techniques. Design and development of dynamic web-sites using technologies such as ASP.NET.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 305 or equivalent.

MIS 461. E-Business. 3 Hours

Models of how to conduct business electronically. Topics include different forms of e-business, products and services provided on the Internet, how to combine electronic business with brick-and-mortar business, and keys to success for electronically enhanced businesses.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 301.

MIS 465. MIS Project I-Analysis & Design in Teams. 3 Hours

First of a two-course sequence. Team participation/management and project management skills. Apply these skills in teams to perform an analysis and preliminary re-design of an existing organization's information system. Emphasis on written and oral communications, including team-prepared reports and presentations. Offered fall semester only.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 325, MIS 380, MIS 381, MIS 385.

This course provides students with an understanding of both defensive and offensive issues of information security. The course includes instruction on information security theory, psychological operations, hacking, viruses, and systems management. The course emphasizes security for e-commerce on the Internet.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 430.

MIS 475. MIS Project II-Design & Implementation in Teams. 3 Hours

Continuation of MIS 465. With its organizational client, each team carries its project as far as possible toward final design and actual implementation. Students are guided to reflect about how their UD educational experience has influenced understanding of their major in terms of vocation. Emphasis on written and oral communications, including team-prepared reports and presentations. Offered spring semester only.
Prerequisite(s): MIS 150, MIS 465.

MIS 491. Honors Thesis. 3 Hours

Selection, design, investigation, and completion of an independent original research thesis under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. Restricted to students in the University Honors Program with permission of the director of the program and the departmental chairperson.

MIS 492. Honors Thesis. 3 Hours

Selection, design, investigation, and completion of an independent original research thesis under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. Restricted to students in the University Honors Program with permission of the director of the program and the departmental chairperson.

MIS 494. Seminar in Management Information Systems. 1-4 Hours

Study of selected technical and/or organizational issues in information systems. Topics vary from time to time. May be taken more than once if topics change. Title will reflect topics covered in a particular offering.

MIS 497. Laboratory Work Experience. 1-6 Hours

Under faculty sponsorship and in association with a participating industrial, commercial, educational, health-care, or governmental organization; practical experience in work associated with the student's major concentration. (See internship coordinator for details.)
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chairperson.

MIS 498. Cooperative Education. 1-6 Hours

Optional full-time work period off campus alternating with study period on campus. (See Chapter X; consult Cooperative Education Office for details.)
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chairperson.

Research in conjunction with a faculty member on a subject within the general area of management information systems. Open only to juniors or seniors who have attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chairperson.

Operations Management Courses

OPS 220. Experiences in Operations & Supply Management. 1 Hour

Designed to immerse students into the contemporary issues of operations and supply management. Site visits and guest lectures from operations management leaders. Priority given to first and second year students. Satisfactory/No Credit.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of department chairperson.

OPS 300. Introduction to Operations & Supply Management. 3 Hours

Concepts and OPS software-based techniques of designing, implementing, managing, and improving operations in manufacturing and service organizations, including project management, services systems design, resource allocation modeling, facility location, layout, aggregate planning, scheduling, and material requirements planning. Survey of major OPS strategies such as: just-in-time production, total quality management, business process reengineering, synchronous manufacturing, enterprise resource planning, and supply chain management. Not open to students in the School of Business Administration or to those with credit in OPS 301. Student must show aptitude in quantitative materials.
Prerequisite(s): (BAI 103L or BIZ 100 or BIZ 102 or equivalent); (MTH 128, MTH 129 or equivalent); junior standing; permission of department chairperson; DSC 210 or equivalent; DSC 211 or equivalent recommended.

Analytical and empirical tools for evaluation of operations in manufacturing/service firms. Analytical methods may include flow diagrams, Little's Law, queuing theory, theoretical flow times, critical path networks, resource capacity, and estimates of system flow. Empirical methods include quality sampling and discrete event simulation. Students receive training in simulation software. Projects or case studies require creative problem solving for realist business problems.
Prerequisite(s): DSC 211; OPS 301 or OPS 300 (may be taken as a corequisite); Business majors only or permission of department chairperson.

OPS 401. Operations Planning & Control. 3 Hours

Concepts and techniques in the planning and control of operations. Advanced treatment topics include: forecasting for operations, operations sequencing and scheduling, inventory and production control, production planning system design, MRP/ERP, warehouse management, purchasing and physical distribution, balanced attention to technical as well as the managerial aspects of operations planning and control.
Prerequisite(s): DSC 375.

OPS 413. Project Management. 3 Hours

Broad coverage of technical and human management issues in projects. Emphasis on project planning, scheduling, tracking, and close-down. Task time and cost estimation and description. Use of computer software. Team building and other aspects of managing project teams.
Prerequisite(s): OPS 301.

This course centers on the preparation for an experiential operations improvement project. Students evaluate real-world project proposals from clients, develop clear understanding of operations improvement opportunities, and select projects at hand. Student teams learn about process improvement project design and develop well-defined project plans for execution in OPS 495. Students taking OPS 485 in the fall must take OPS 495 in the subsequent spring semester.
Corequisite(s): OPS 401, OPS 480.

OPS 491. Honors Thesis. 3 Hours

Selection, design, investigation, and completion of an independent and original research thesis under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. Restricted to students in the University Honors Program with permission of the director of the program and the departmental chairperson.

OPS 492. Honors Thesis. 3 Hours

Selection, design, investigation, and completion of an independent original, research thesis under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. Restricted to students in the University Honors Program with permission of the director of the program and the departmental chairperson.

OPS 494. Seminar in Operations & Supply Management. 3 Hours

Study of selected topics or issues in operations management. Topics vary from time to time. May be taken more than once if topics change. Title will reflect topics covered in a particular offering.

OPS 495. Capstone Operations & Supply Management Project II. 5 Hours

This course centers on the execution of an experiential project applying operations and supply management concepts and techniques to practical problems with faculty supervision. Student teams address significant operational problems and opportunities in real-world service and manufacturing firms. Teams write recommendation/implementation reports and make presentations of their work. Students are guided to reflect about how their UD educational experience has influenced understanding of their major in terms of vocation.
Prerequisite(s): OPS 401, OPS 480, OPS 485.

OPS 497. Laboratory Work Experience. 1-6 Hours

Under faculty sponsorship and in association with a participating industrial, commercial, educational, health-care, government, or other organization, practical experience in work associated with the student's major. (See internship coordinator for details.) May satisfy OPS elective, with chairperson approval.

OPS 498. Cooperative Education. 1-6 Hours

Optional full-time work period off campus alternating with study period on campus. (See Chapter X; consult Cooperative Education Office for details). Permission of chairperson required.

Research in conjunction with a faculty member on a subject within the general area of operations management. Normally open only to juniors and seniors who have attained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or above. Permission of chairperson required.